Composting Grapes

Question:

I am only a beginner and know very little about what I am doing. I have some flowers (petunias, verbena, and something else I can't identify) and a cherry tomato plant. My neighbor has a grape vine and a lot of the grapes have fallen off and gone bad. Can it help or hinder if I recycle them as compost for my garden by placing them on top of the soil?

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Hardiness Zone: 10b

Thank you,
Brigitte from Israel

Answer:

Hi Brigitte,

Here is some more input on your questions regarding composting grapes by adding them directly on top of your garden soil. First of all, grape's skins, pulp and seeds make wonderful compost. Several vineyards here in the U.S. compost their winery waste (or pumice), because it makes a great soil amendment by adding valuable organic nutrients to the soil as well as improving its texture. It's okay to add the grapes directly to your garden, but you'll want to turn them under so they mix in well with the soil. This should also be done at least two months prior to planting anything in your garden. This is because the fungi, bacteria and soil microbes responsible for breaking down the compost will also attack the roots of any seedlings the compost happens to come into contact with while it's breaking the waste down. You might find it more convenient just to set aside about a 3 ft. by 3 ft. area in the corner of the garden to start your pile. Here are some answers to your additional questions.

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Can any paper which is not glossy or coloured can be used? Can I throw in my kids old drawings? How about newspaper that was mentioned above, do I need to ascertain that there are no coloured ads? Any paper without a waxy coating can be composted. High gloss papers like those from magazines contain additional chemicals and dyes and should be avoided if possible. I wouldn't worry to much about colored newsprint ads. Most newspapers are now printed using biodegradable soy-based inks-including the colored ads. At least that's the story here in the U.S. You might want to check with your local newspaper publisher if you have concerns about it.

If I pluck weeds and let them dry out, can I assume the seeds also die? How can I tell if they have seeds or not, so that I can use them? Some weeds reproduce by root rhizomes, other by runners and still others by seeds. You can never assume that the seeds (or weeds) will be made unviable by drying them out or even composting them, although a "hot" compost pile will usually reach high enough temperatures to take care of any seeds. Avoid composting any weed seeds that are obvious (I wouldn't worry about removing any grape seeds), and be prepared to pluck out a few "compost weeds" now and then.

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Why do you keep the compost in the fridge? I would like to start, but I would not have room for it. Some people find that it works well to keep a small bucket of kitchen waste in the refrigerator instead of running the waste out to the compost pile every evening. The refrigerator slows down the decomposition process and reduces potential odors until the container fills up and is transferred to the outdoor pile. There are also small kitchen-sized composters designed especially to fit into your refrigerator or sit on your kitchen counter. These are useful for composting small amounts of waste or making compost tea to use for houseplants.

Does everything need to be crushed? I have carrot peels; do they need to be small? Do I have to crush the eggshells? Technically speaking, nothing has to be crushed or broken down before adding it to the pile, but you'll find that reducing waste to smaller- sized pieces will speed up the composting process. Carrot peels are small enough. Eggshells do not have to be crushed. Large-sized yard debris (thick sticks or branches) and plant material (e.g. sunflower stalks) can be broken down into 2-3 inch pieces or shredded for faster composting. All organic waste will break down eventually, whether you reduce its size or not.

How about milk products? It's generally best to avoid composting animal products (meat, fish, poultry, fat, bones, eggs, and dairy). They tend to smell and attract unwanted visitors and even disease. Also avoid vegetable oils. Do not compost plastics or synthetic fibers.

Is covering it important? We don't drink filtered coffee, should I use leaves instead? It isn't always necessary to cover your compost pile, but it's helpful to prevent too much moisture from getting into the pile; it discourages animal scavengers and it traps in heat, which speeds up the composting process. Leaves, coffee and coffee grounds can all be added to your compost pile. Everything will break down eventually. A mixture containing 50-70% browns (leaves, hay and other dry matter), 30-50% greens (grass, garbage, manure) and 0-5% black (dirt or old compost) plus a little bit of moisture to make things damp (and air) is a good balance of materials for producing compost and will produce the fastest results.

How long do I leave it? How do I know that it is ready? You can tell your compost is ready when it's hard to distinguish individual waste ingredients. It will probably look a lot like dirt and smell "sweet and earthy." Depending on your mix of materials and the weather, expect to see fresh compost in anywhere from 3-6 months.

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If you place them on top of the soil you may attract more bugs (flies, ants) than you would like! If you're going to compost, you need to bury them under your compost pile so that they will decompose. I started my compost pile with a pile of leaves and I keep a plastic Folgers coffee canister in the fridge to store the kitchen scraps in until it's full. Toss in your produce scraps (celery, onion and skins, garlic skins, carrot, cucumber, potato scrapings, etc., coffee grounds with the used filters, crushed egg shells, stuff like that (no meat though!). Turn them under and wet the pile occasionally to create beautiful rich soil!

I compost and have done it for years, but I am not a traditionalist. Books tell you to alternate between green and brown matter, to turn it every so often, and all kinds of stuff that I do not have time for. Don't let the books scare you off!

I have my compost bin in a corner of my garden, which is not too far from my house. I dig a hole in the garden, then set the bin on blocks so its bottom is level with the soil. I throw everything in. No, I do not crush, chop, or grind anything. It'll take a little longer to break down, but time I have. After the pile gets so high, I'll throw some soil on it, then keep adding scraps to it. I water it every now and then, and let nature do the work. The next spring, I'll dig another hole at another corner of my garden, place the bin on blocks (I've lifted it from the original pile), and put anything that hasn't decomposed in the bottom of my new pile. I use the rich black dirt from the old pile where ever I want/need it. Sometimes, I just toss the enriched soil around my garden to amend its soil. I've done this for years, and have never needed fertilizer. Compost is ready to use when the material is broken down into rich, black earth. I use a pitch fork in the spring; the material that gets caught needs to breakdown further, the dirt that falls through is ready to use. Find a method that works for you.

You can put just about anything in a compost pile, as long as it doesn't have any fat in it. So, don't pour grease on it, use dairy, meats, soups, eggs, or stuff like that. Fats will inhibit things from breaking down as easily, start the pile smelling, and may cause a problem with rodents. Small twigs, leaves, weeds pulled from the garden (make sure they don't have seeds, or the seeds will germinate in the garden next summer), vegetable and fruit scraps, eggshells, animal manure, sawdust, even old shredded newspaper and lint from the dryer. I keep a container by my sink that I throw everything in, and take it out after dinner, then wash the container to keep smells and fruit flies at bay. Some people put theirs in the fridge for that reason, but I don't have room in ine either. Yes, you can use the old grapes, flowers, and garden plants. Worms, which you want to attract to your garden, love bananas and banana peels. That's why we compost--to turn waste into a usable form. Don't worry about bugs, they help break down the matter (but you won't want to attract flies by putting the bin next to your back door. And remember, whenever you add a big layer, throw a little dirt on the pile and water it to help the fibers break down. Good Luck!

Brigette--I forgot to say that your pile does not need to be made of anything special. You can simply bend some fencing for the sides. My grandfather, on his farm, just threw everything onto a big pile. Since I live in the city, my husband made me a wooden bin so it would look neat. Again, use what ever is available to you. I've even seen people take an old trach can whose bottom is rusted out use that, or buy cheap plastic ones, drill holes in the sides and use those. Just make sure the material has air available to it so it is able to break down.

I've avoided using anything that has seeds in the compost, although grapes MIGHT decompose successfully.

In response to other feedback here, living in the suburbs of a large city, our homeowners' assoc. is picky about having an "open" compost, wouldn't you know? So, I FOUND someone tossing one of the black heavy plastic ones with "access doors" on each of two sides at the bottom. Compost needs a small amount of air flow through it to "make". This one feeds from the top like a trash can and each and every layer of scrap item I add, I add a layer of grass clippings/leaves/coffee grounds/twigs/shredded paper/dirt, watering each thing to dampen(not soak), THEN....I dig from the bottom access doors a few large scoops of finished compost to add back onto itself, to borrow from the decomposed organisms themselves. I learned that the more bugs in the compost, the better it turns out.

I NEVER add anything greasy, too sugary, bones, seeds, or waxy, and now have a 3' x3' bail of wonderful compost to use for the winter gardens. I have a large wooden shipping crate I found next to a local dumpster being tossed, which is clean white pine. I hope to convert it to a three compartment compost lined in plastic wire fencing/trellis, should I be able to find someone tossing that, as well. I have friends watching curbs for me, hoping to find what I need before all the leaves drop so I can begin early composting them along with all the other things.

My favorite things to add to a compost are egg shells, banana peelings, plain spaghetti sauce, and watersoaked leaves/dirt blown into my curb by the neighborhood lawn service men.

I ALWAYS chop larger things with a meat cleaver into thin pieces, ALWAYS add/break only TINY twigs, for faster decompostion, and I LOVE to add a mixture

of Compost Booster, homemade from Jerry Baker's formula, of Molasses, Baby Shampoo, instant tea, and a few things of my own like, Ketchup/old coffee/

mouthwash/garlic water/and Lemon Balm concentrate.

(I have a broken earth fork I keep near the compost bin to turn the top 1 foot should it become heavy with new added materials. I will add dried Monkey Grass soon, and am waiting for more

paper shreddings from offices nearby, provided they

are fine and not heavy glossy papers. I also watch for tiny leafed trees in the Fall, and fine "leaves" from Cyprus trees. I avoid all pet droppings except from our house bunny who's droppings never smell bad, and who is NEVER ill. I also avoid canned veggies because they are too high in added salt, unless salt-free. When cleaning the fridge, all but greasy/waxy/bones go to the compost. It took a while to get into the routine/rhythm of collecting/dumping into the compost, but once I caught on it began to "make"

which then encouraged me to continue. I plant to ALWAYS have one. Stories I've heard/read range

from open piles full of everything possible, to

wholes dug all around the garden with garbage tossed into them. I chose to just use what I have

in a somewhat orderly, certainly compliant manner,

which has paid off, EXCEPT for a single neighborhood/visiting rat I should probably set a trap for, especially since it has been seen on the

phone lines running from pole to pole, and on our

fence twice. It also climbs trees. We used to have a family of Opossum's but they were eaten by Cyotes

allowed to roam the streets here! Another terrible

story, but "off subject". )

It seems wise to use anything we have in abundance, right? But should it be from say, a meat

packing house nearby, or from a dairy, it's best to

not draw animials to the pile, unless you are in the country and it doesn't matter so much.

I now have a clearer picture. We have 4 kids (age 6, 3 year old twins, and a baby) that means that we go through a lot of food, and unfortunately have unfinished tablefood, but also I don't have much time to take on a complicated project. This seems not too much more than sorting garbages. I love the fact that it is reducing the amount we put into landfill.

At this point I don't have a recycling bin, so I lined a cardboard box with a plastic garbage bag. The top is open, so I hope that is enough for air. I am trying to put in a blend of "greens" (produce scraps) and "brown" (twigs, earth, etc) I still have a few questions:

1) Any paper which is not glossy or coloured can be used? Can I throw in my kids old drawings? How about newspaper that was mentioned above, do I need to ascertain that there are no coloured ads?

2) If I pluck weeds and let them dry out, can I assume the seeds also die? How can I tell if they have seeds or not, so that I can use them?

If it helps, I don't put anything in the refrigerator. I have a 5 quart ice cream tub with a tight lid, and I stick it under the sink and add peelings, etc. as they accumulate. Most of ours go to the chickens anymore, but some goes to the compost heap, too.